Art Pepper's 1980 session with strings may not be as well known as those of Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Stan Getz, but it's at least their equal in terms of accomplishment and impact. By 1980, Pepper was in the midst of a successful 7-year comeback that would unfortunately end with his death in 1982. His playing during this period was rawer than ever, openly displaying all the torment and anguish he had lived through. Pepper begins this track pensively, but soon Cowell's emphatic comping and the soaring strings unite with him as he ups the emotional content. His jumpy, staccato phrases culminate in a charged peak that is perfectly timed with the strings' swelling crescendo. Pepper's reprise of the theme is a mournful, haunting cry. Bill Holman's sensitive, uncluttered arrangement and Pepper's passionate style mesh beautifully.